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Vanilla Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

Vanilla bourbon cranberry sauce with glossy, berry-burst texture—boiled, then simmered until thick, finished with bourbon. Uses vanilla bean or vanilla extract for a fragrant, dark-red sauce that chills into a spoonable set.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 220
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

cranberries
  • 12 oz fresh cranberries
sweetener and liquid
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup water
  • 0.25 cup orange juice
bourbon and vanilla
  • 0.33 cup bourbon, divided
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
seasoning
  • 1 pinch salt

Equipment

  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Cook the cranberry mixture
  1. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, water, orange juice, 1/4 cup bourbon, vanilla bean (seeds scraped), and salt; bring to a boil, stirring until the sugars dissolve and the liquid looks clear and bubbling.
  2. Add fresh cranberries to the boiling syrup and return to a boil; once the berries begin actively bubbling, keep it at a steady boil to get the skins splitting.
  3. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until the berries burst and the sauce thickens to a glossy, spoon-coating consistency.
Finish and chill
  1. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the remaining bourbon until fully incorporated and the color turns uniformly dark red.
  2. Remove the vanilla pod, then cool completely and chill before serving so the sauce sets and slices or mounds neatly.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the simmer steady—if it’s too low the berries won’t burst quickly, and if it’s too aggressive the sauce can reduce too far. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 10 days; freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). For a booze-free option, replace the bourbon with additional orange juice and a splash of vanilla extract to keep the flavor profile.